Two time NCAA Division III national wrestling champion Dave Morgan runs his Mat Assassin wrestling school in Scranton. Recently Dave took six area wrestlers to the Middle Atlantic Wrestling Association national finals in Salisbury Maryland and returned with two national qualifiers.
"These guys come from all over Northeast Pennsylvania and they come here every single night except Fridays and Saturdays and they work," said Dave Morgan.
15 year old Kazim Bakhryev finished 7th in his weight class while Jared Wehrmann from Wallenpaupack took 3rd.
"I'm doing summer tournaments so I can get better. So I can get there. So I could go be a district champion," said Kazim Bakhryev.
"The wrestling is a lot harder when you get to that level and you wrestle different kids from around the areas and it's just a great experience wrestling kids with different styles," said Jared Wehrmann.
For this group of wrestlers wrestling under the coaching guidance of Dave Morgan it's one thing to go to regionals and wrestle well at Shamokin and Bethlehem. It's a whole other thing down at nationals against some of the best wrestlers in the country and my buddy Mason Fashouer he was down there and mason you saw some of those outstanding wrestlers. Those kids we're tough weren't they? "Yes".
"Pretty good wrestlers you have to admit. What do you take from that and come back and what do you need to work on? Just come back harder next year," said Stefhan Caple.
"It was good. What did you learn? How tough we're the guys? Real tough," said Austin Fashouer.
"It was more quick than I thought. It was going to be but I knew it was going to be quick. So you got some stuff to come back here and work on with Coach Morgan now right? Yes! Think he can make you quicker? Yes!," said Jeremiah Oakes.
And Dave Morgan knows all about how we end these Newswatch 16 sports stories with pushups. Thanks Dave lets go. Count them down. Down one , down two, Steve Lloyd Newswatch 16 sports Scranton.